I'm curled up in my comfy chair in sweatpants, fuzzy socks, and a thick sweater, drinking coffee, munching on pretzels, and enjoying an unexpected afternoon off. Originally, I'd had stuff scheduled back-to-back and would have been racing back and forth between my school's two major campuses al afternoon...but the forecast was predicting ice and snow, so I ended up getting out of work and as a result, found myself with an extra few hours of free time. Since I usually don't get home until 8 or 9pm exhausted and starving, vegging out at 4 on a Tuesday feels a little like heaven. Even better, one of my meetings tomorrow afternoon got cancelled so I have a full THREE hours free. What to do, what to do....
I am starting to get a little more into the swing of things at clinic, although it never ceases to amaze me how rough some people have it. Try (1) being addicted to painkillers (2) having asthma and COPD (3) having a bum leg from your dad beating you as a kid (4) being clinically depressed, and (5) being 100 pounds overweight. And yeah, that was just ONE patient I saw last week. Naturally she did was also unemployed, uninsured, and at her wit's end. The next patient was an alcoholic who is battling her ex, who somehow has custody of their son despite having spent five years in jail for beating the mom, being a registered sex offender, and prohibiting the son from going to school. HOW THE HECK DOES THAT WORK? I still tend to leave my shifts there feeling a little shell-shocked.
On the other hand, I'm doing well in my classes and enjoy getting to see my friends on campus again. I hung out with this guy yesterday who I have a little crush on so that was kind of sweet. And actually I'm going to need some serious Girl Talk soon because I have some boy issuez and they're stressing me out. I mean, not in a terrible way, just that I know I'm going to hurt someone's feelings and it sucks.
Anyway. That's another post. For now, I'm living up the grad school lyfe (it's similar to the thug lyfe, for those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept) with papers and reading and Excel sheets and all that jazz. I'm still pretty overwhelmed by my schedule, but really working to keep my sanity in order. For me, that means doing a few specific things:
—taking my medication DAILY
—eating a minimum of X,XXX calories per day, regardless of whether I exercise
—exercising some, but not too much
—drinking no more than 3 cups of coffee per day, and no caffeine after 4pm
—hanging out with friends 2-3 nights per week (no more, no less)
—getting to bed by midnight
It's all simple stuff, really, but these kinds of measures are always the first to go when I'm crunched for time/energy/brainspace/what-have-you. Goal of the semester is to still be as happy by the end as I am right now.
Have a great week everyone, love you all.
This is so great to hear/read! I'm really glad you got an afternoon off to just breathe and enjoy the peace and fun things! Awesome that you'll get more free time tomorrow! It sounds like while the clinic is challenging and really eye-opening, it's a valuable experience for you, and I'm glad they have you to support them!
ReplyDeleteOoh, a boy?! Details please! (by email too, either way) :) I freaking love the last section here. Those are all really crucial things for your mental, physical, and emotional health. It seems as if many, myself included, tend to feel too busy for self-care when we're stressed and busy, but it seems like that's when self-care is MOST important. I'm so glad you're making these things a priority! Good for you! Great insight in recognizing that these things are essential to your health and happiness. I hope you continue to feel this good!